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Cricket pitch to strengthen Vatican-Anglican ties

Cricket pitch to strengthen Vatican-Anglican ties

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VATICAN CITY — The pope and queen of England are squaring off on the cricket pitch — sort of.

The Vatican's new cricket team is going on tour, fielding a largely Indian team to play an Anglican squad at the Kent County Cricket Club and the royal household's XI at Windsor Castle.

The Sept. 12-20 "Light of Faith Tour" aims to forge closer ties between the Catholic and Anglican churches, which split in 1534 after English King Henry VIII was refused a marriage annulment. A half-millennium later, the two churches remain divided on a host of issues, including female bishops.